The fantastic news in this part of the world, seen in multiple tweets, is that the Aussies have come out in support of marriage equality. Anyone who thought that the result would be otherwise was dreaming of course. It’s been obvious for years that the majority of Aussies want same-sex marriage to be legal.

This poll, though officially conducted, was a non-binding postal referendum. However, the high turnout and strong YES vote means the government cannot ignore it. The Australian Labour party is to introduce a Bill into parliament this afternoon to make same-sex marriage legal. Some MPs who oppose same-sex marriage plan to support the Bill. This is because the vote of their own electorate was an overwhelming YES.

More difficult is the choice of some Labour MPS. There are some whose electorates were amongst the few who voted NO. They will be torn between doing the right thing for society and representing the wishes of their constituents.

Ed Stetzer, who is a former Moore supporter, doesn’t think so. Here’s what he says about the lies Kayla Moore is spreading around.

1. Is this even a legit list? (It’s an undated near-reprint of an earlier list.)
2. There are 12K churches in AL, so (if legit) this is 0.41%.
3. BTW, 6% of ppl think the moon landing was faked.
3. Not one of the largest churches in AL is on the list.
4. Facts are our friends. https://t.co/YygjvJaxAP

Human Rights Tweets

I don’t personally believe that Jeff Sessions is dishonest. He is a racist. I’m not sure if he realizes he’s a racist. He’s one of those people that think they treat everyone fairly but their racism is so ingrained they don’t understand how much it effects them. We get far left groups who talk about all white people having a sort of “toxic whiteness”. That it’s all but a crime just to be born white. It’s people like Jeff Sessions that they can point to and say, “I told you so.”

Jeff Sessions was asked why the FBI investigates ‘Black extremists’ but not the KKK. It did not go well for him. pic.twitter.com/4HW2cYSvyl

On the subject of Sean Hannity. He’s apparently okay when it comes to the “don’t touch your female co-workers” rule. However, he’s an enabler. He makes excuses for, and actively supports, men who are harassers, abusers, and worse. From the time sexual abuser Donald Trump announced his candidacy, his show became little more than a Trump infomercial. He had Bill O-Reilly on when no one else would, and wanted him back. Now he actively supports Roy Moore.

For those who want to be willfully ignorant about #GunControl, let me remind you about the reality of gun trafficking and how guns get around to places like Northern California and Chicago who have the strictest in-state gun laws. pic.twitter.com/nmMZpRvQ5u

Art Tweets

Flora Tweets

Big and beautiful. Not sure I’d want to stand next to it though. I’m not good at with bad smells. Still the plant would probably appreciate my vomit – it would attract a few extra flies!
(Via Ann German.)

The stinking corpse lily is the largest individual flower in the world. It’s critically endangered &smells of rotting flesh to attract flies pic.twitter.com/eJKJHw8H4Z

What is sad about USian democracy is that I would imagine a large percentage of USians wouldn’t give a shit if we lived in a democracy or a theocracy or a plutocracy (which is really what we are now). I see us as very Weltdumm. It’s my made-up spin-off of Weltschmerz. We here in America are world-dumb. We refuse to learn from other successful countries. And then we elect someone like Trump. Ignorance-incarnate. Mic drop.

True socialist democracies across the world produce the happiest humans. That’s really the only metric I care about. Mic drop.

Spider-Man and the cat love-affair was Amazing. Amazing Spider-Man #194 (7/79) is the 1st appearance of Cat-Woman. Spidey likes cats. Incidentally, the book is quite valuable in high grade. Yes, I’m a nerd.

Nerds are the most interesting people, so it’s nothing to apologize for!

It is something I notice about a lot of USians. I blame the American Exceptionalism thing. A lot of USians truly believe that they don’t need to learn anything from anyone else. They just assume they’re the best. Anyone who criticizes them is wrong, and if it’s a fellow USian doing the criticism, they’re being unpatriotic. In other countries, there’s a different attitude – we see improving our country as patriotic.

Really? Is there any jurisdiction that requires proof of love before it will recognize a marriage? Where is that on the license application? Is it a tick box? Do you have to send in an annual renewal, like a car inspection?

Americans are here because the old country sucked. If the old country has got better and sucks less, that’s good to know, but nobody’s interested in trading places with cousins they left behind.

You’re right, Americans have little use for navel-gazing. We’re too busy getting rich and working on our firearms collections.

The USA is exceptional, first, because it is a republic founded on ideas not bloodlines. As importantly, no other extant republic even approaches its scale, longevity, prosperity, and diversity. (Does this even need to be pointed out?!?)

It depends who you are referring to. The Puritans left because they couldn’t force their extreme religious views on everyone else so they wanted to go somewhere that they could. As for bloodlines, it seems to me that the US is run by a small number of families who control everything in both business and politics.

And longevity? Almost all developed countries have better longevity than the US, probably because those in control only care about healthcare for those who can afford to pay for it. Everyone else is screwed.

And you’re not even as diverse as you think you are. The big cities are diverse, but they’re all Democratic. Most of the rest of the country is not diverse at all – they’re poor and clinging to their guns and Bibles.

We have constitutional monarchy now, which means they have NO power. They’re purely symbolic, just like the Hollywood icons so many USians follow. Everyone would soon kick up a fuss if royalty stuck their oar in, but you guys follow what entertainment figures do slavishly. And you stick to the rules in a book written by Bronze-Age goat herders partly hundreds, and partly thousands, of years before the European monarchies even had power.

We’re better educated (especially our women, who are also more equal), fitter, healthier, more peaceful, less corrupt, more equal, more diverse, less racist, less prejudiced generally, longer living, lower taxed, and it’s even easier to do business here. Yes, overall the US in wealthier. You also have a much greater proportion of your people living in poverty.